📄 Category

public and global health

433 papers

Public and global health examines how we protect communities from disease, manage outbreaks, and improve well-being across the world. This vital field connects diverse research on everything from infectious disease control and vaccination strategies to the social factors that shape our collective health. Because these studies often impact policy and daily life, understanding them quickly is more important than ever.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint published in this category on medRxiv to ensure you never miss a breakthrough. We process each submission to provide both plain-language explanations for general readers and detailed technical summaries for experts, making complex findings accessible to everyone.

Below are the latest papers in public and global health, freshly summarized from the most recent medRxiv releases.

📄 public and global health

How the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis shaped reach and engagement in the ECAIL trial targeting socially disadvantaged families: an interdisciplinary implementation study

This interdisciplinary implementation study demonstrates that the ECAIL childhood obesity prevention trial successfully maintained its reach and acceptability among socially disadvantaged families in France despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, thanks to adaptive strategies like the rapid resumption of home-based visits and flexible implementation approaches.

Poquet, D., Le Gal, C., Hincker, P., Beghin, L., Deplanque, D., Subtil, D., Sion, O., Cavalli, B., VANHOUTTE, L., Jacobs (…)2026-05-19
📄 public and global health

Insurance coverage and treatment gaps among adults with hypertension or diabetes in Kenya: a sex-stratified analysis of the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey

A sex-stratified analysis of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey reveals that despite nearly half of diagnosed adults with hypertension or diabetes having health insurance, substantial treatment gaps persist across all wealth and sex groups, suggesting that expanding insurance enrollment alone is insufficient to improve chronic care access without addressing deeper systemic barriers like medicine availability and affordability.

Amollo, N. W., Ouma, J. O., Hyera, H.2026-05-18✓ Author reviewed ⓘ
📄 public and global health

Number Needed to Vaccinate with a Novel Tuberculosis Vaccine to Prevent Tuberculosis in High-Risk Populations, United States

This study estimates that targeted vaccination of *Mycobacterium tuberculosis*-infected high-risk individuals in the United States with an M72/AS01E-like vaccine would require between 217 and 2,486 vaccinations to prevent a single tuberculosis case, a range comparable to established adult vaccines.

Rothman, J. E., Castro, K. G., Lopman, B., Gandhi, N. R., Nelson, K.2026-05-15
📄 public and global health

Patient associations as knowledge intermediaries in breast cancer governance in Mali: a prospective qualitative analysis

This qualitative study in Mali reveals that while patient associations possess strong experiential legitimacy, their ability to effectively serve as knowledge intermediaries in breast cancer governance is currently constrained by fragmented institutional structures, limited access to data, and epistemic biases favoring biomedical evidence, necessitating coordinated strategies to build structured interfaces and address gendered barriers for sustainable knowledge translation.

ROBIN, J., Ly, M., Niangaly, H., Schantz, C., Keita, A., Kante, K., Ridde, V.2026-05-14
📄 public and global health

Determinants of in-hospital mortality within 48 hours of admission to the Emergency and Urgent Care Department at University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia: a retrospective cross-sectional study

This retrospective study of 385 patients at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital identifies lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores, reduced pulse rates, and out-of-hours (00:00–07:59) admission as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality within 48 hours, highlighting critical areas for improving emergency care protocols in resource-limited settings.

Tambo, J. M.2026-05-12
📄 public and global health

Estimated incidence and number of new cases with prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Finland 1990-2025

This study estimates that while prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) incidence in Finland have declined from the 1990s to the 2020s due to public health interventions, exposure remains common and the burden of FASD substantial, highlighting the need for continued biomarker-based research and strengthened prevention efforts targeting pre-pregnancy recognition.

Jolma, M., Koivu-Jolma, M., Gissler, M., Sarajuuri, A., Autti-Rämö, I.2026-05-12
📄 public and global health

Multiplex Pan-Filovirus Assay Performance and Reproducibility Across Varied Geographical and Resource Settings

This study demonstrates that a multiplex pan-filovirus immunoassay yields highly reproducible and precise results across diverse laboratory settings in the US and DRC, validating its utility for serosurveillance, vaccine response assessment, and comparative serologic investigations.

Smith, O. A., Merritt, S., Kompany, J. P., Hoff, N. A., Wong, T. A. S., Kamara, V., Tambu, M., Halbrook, M., Kindrachuk (…)2026-05-10
📄 public and global health

Socioeconomic Inequalities and Environmental Determinants of Child Undernutrition in Cambodia: An Analysis of the 2021-22 Demographic and Health Survey

An analysis of the 2021-22 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey reveals that child undernutrition remains highly prevalent, with stunting, wasting, and underweight significantly driven by socioeconomic inequalities, poor environmental conditions, and specific child characteristics, underscoring the need for multisectoral interventions targeting complementary feeding, poverty reduction, and improved sanitation.

Um, S., Dany, L., Sakha, S., Pav, P., Phan, C., Chamroen, P., Sieng, C., Heng, S.2026-05-08
📄 public and global health

Linking transmission dynamics and economic evaluation to assess schistosomiasis programme strategies across districts in Malawi

This study utilizes an integrated transmission and economic model across Malawi's 32 districts to demonstrate that while school-aged child treatment is highly cost-effective for morbidity reduction, community-wide mass drug administration is necessary for elimination and becomes cost-saving only in high-prevalence districts, highlighting the need for strategies tailored to local disease burden and programmatic goals.

Mangal, T. D., Colbourn, T., Phillips, A. N., Mfutso-Bengo, J., Mphamba, P., Mohan, S., Murray-Watson, R., Nkhoma, D., J (…)2026-05-07